1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a kitchen appliance, particularly a juicer, which has a removable strainer that may be mechanically coupled to a rotating drive shaft of the appliance.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In such devices, it is known to couple the strainer to the rotating drive by means of a screw connection, which may be, for example, in the form of a threaded bolt associated with a fan wheel seated on the drive shaft. The strainer, which is provided with a concentric hole in its bottom, is placed on the fan wheel over the threaded bolt and is secured thereto by screwing a threaded nut onto the threaded bolt. The nut is fastened onto the bolt (sometimes by the use of a suitable tool), and thus the strainer bottom is pressed against the upper flat surface of the fan wheel.
Such a connection between the appliance drive shaft and the strainer requires a threaded nut and sometimes one or more spacer or safety washers. These loose components can be easily misplaced. Moreover, a suitable tool for tightening and loosening the nut may be required, and this component is also susceptible to being misplaced.
Additionally, the requirement that the strainer have a concentric hole in its base results in sealing problems making necessary corresponding countermeasures, such as the insertion of gaskets on the threaded bolt.
In another type of known coupling mechanism, the drive shaft and the strainer are each provided with a screw-shaped coupling part which can be engaged with one another. Each coupling half includes several threads of a relatively large pitch, so that a full mutual rotation of the two coupling parts is not necessary to join or disengage them.
This known coupling mechanism overcomes the above-noted disadvantages of additional and loose components which can be misplaced, but such a coupling mechanism is effective in only one rotational direction. When force is applied in the reverse rotational direction by the appliance driving mechanism, for example during braking, the driven coupling half tends to become disengaged from the driving coupling half. During braking therefore, a strainer attachment driven through such a coupling mechanism could be hurled against the cover section of the appliance, in which case the interior of the appliance would become soiled if not damaged.